By JULIANNA FORTAIN

“We are thrilled with the prospect of the economic impact each of these projects will have for the region.”

Mark Swihart, executive director

UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics

UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Materials
Informatics (CMI) has awarded over $170,000 to five projects with
commercial potential that showcase collaboration between a UB
faculty member and an industry partner.

To be eligible for funding through the CMI, UB faculty members
submitted brief proposals that were scored by a team of experts
based on technology, industry interest, funding impact and
relevance to materials informatics.

“We are thrilled with the prospect of the economic impact
each of these projects will have for the region,” says Mark
Swihart, UB Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological
Engineering and CMI’s executive director. “Some of
UB’s top researchers are at the helm of these exciting
innovations and will continue their life-changing work with
industry support.”

Researchers will develop a unique coating technology that will
reduce the drag (friction) between a boat hull and water, which
will result in faster hull speeds, increased fuel efficiency and
greater range.

This experimental and modeling effort will study
electrostimulation using metals and metal alloys to understand the
principles of biofilm eradication in prosthetic implants, resulting
in research that could lead to improved infection control
methods.

This research will focus on the design of fluorinated surfactant
molecules that are integral to a range of products. The research
may lead to fluorocarbon-containing functional products that are
better in terms of environment and health impact than current
products. Award: $36,000.